Codex Berolinensis Gnosticus 8502
The Codex Berolinensis Gnosticus 8502 , abbreviated as BG, outside of Germany often referred to as the Berlin Codex or Akhmim Codex , contains apocryphal writings of the New Testament in Coptic language.
history
The Berlin church historian and coptologist Carl Schmidt discovered the remains of a small book in Egypt in 1896, which he acquired for the Berlin papyrus collection . The book is written in one column on papyrus and originally had 72 sheets or 144 pages, 6 of which are missing at the beginning and one sheet in the back. Schmidt bought it from an antique dealer and could only trace its origin back to a dealer in Achmim , which is why the exact location is unknown. Schmidt suspects the original location in a burial ground in Achmim or the surrounding area. The manuscript probably dates from the 5th century. The subsequently attached leather cover bears the ownership note Zacharias, which is why it can be assumed that the texts were in an ancient monastery library. In Berlin, the codex was inventoried as Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 and is in the papyrus collection of the Egyptian Museum.
The language
The scriptures are Coptic translations of originally Greek texts. Small older Greek fragments still exist from the Gospel of Mary and Sophia Jesus Christ. Although these are small in size, they prove that these writings were initially in Greek circulation. Irenaeus knew the apocryphal; thus an old Greek version of it is also proven. The different versions of the Apocryphon are essentially the same, but differ significantly in the wording, so that different translations of it existed. In addition, certain Greek words have remained untranslated and certain peculiarities of the Greek text have been retained in the translation. The translation was made into the Sahidic dialect , but there are certain achmimic and subachmimic peculiarities. The writer probably wanted to deliver a Sahidic text, but spoke Subachmimic as his mother tongue himself, so that subachmimic word forms occasionally appear.
meaning
For a long time, this codex was one of the few known coherent original Gnostic texts that were not handed down by the Church Fathers and thus from a negative attitude towards Gnosis . Besides this there was the Codex Brucianus and the Codex Askewianus . These three writings, along with the quotations from the Church Fathers, formed the narrow basis for Gnosis research from the late 18th to the early 20th century. Only with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi writings did the source situation improve significantly. One problem remains that it is Egyptian translations and revisions of the Greek originals that have been lost.
Release
The fragments from the Acts of Peter were published by Carl Schmidt in 1903. Most of the translation of the rest of Schmidt's collective publication had already been printed in 1912 when a pipe burst at the publishing house destroyed the entire edition. The First World War again prevented the printing and it was only shortly before his death (1938) that Schmidt attempted a reprint. Publication was delayed again due to his death. It was not until 1939 that the editors of texts and investigations were able to acquire the print templates from the estate. The text from 1912 was to be produced using the offset process in 1939 based on the proof sheets that were received. Due to various personnel changes and the outbreak of World War II , the pressure was again delayed. When the external circumstances were again favorable, the Nag Hammadi writings , which contain parallel texts to BG, became known since 1946 , so that the publication did not seem meaningful until the new finds were evaluated. It was decided to re-set the texts. It was not until 1955 that they could be published by Walter C. Till.
content
The codex is a composite manuscript and contains four texts in the Coptic language of the Nag Hammadi library:
- The Gospel according to Mary as a sketchy text
- The apocryphon of John
- The Sophia of Jesus Christ
- The Acts of Peter
Versions of the Apocryphon of John and Sophia Jesus are also part of the Nag Hammadi library.
Gospel according to Mary
The text consists of two units that may have been independent once. The first part contains an exchange between Jesus of Nazareth and the disciples on the theological problem of the connection between matter and sin. A second part reports a discussion between Mary Magdalene and the disciples. Mary, who “loved the Redeemer more than the other women” (BG p. 10,2f), is asked by Peter to pass on the words of Jesus to the disciples. Then a heavenly journey of the soul of Mary is described, which she undertakes with the Savior. (Pp. 17,9 f.) The disciples deny these special revelations of Mary. The Gospel according to Mary is also documented in P. Oxyrhynchus 3525 and P. Rylands 463 in two Greek papyrus fragments.
Apocryphon of John
At the beginning Christ appears to the mourning apostles and teaches what was and what should be, so that he may know the invisible and the visible, as well as the perfect man. In addition to the invisible supreme god, there are other divine figures. First an image of the supreme god named Babelo or the first man. From the supreme God further divine figures emerge, which are called eternity, so that it becomes visible that they are part of the supreme God. Thought in Platonic terms, these eternity are models for earthly realities. Nevertheless, behind it is not the Greek heaven of gods , but a monotheistic worldview. John's Apocryphon can be found in three different versions in the Nag Hammadi library (NHC II, 1; III, 1 and IV, 1) and in the Berlin Codex. The four texts of the same name, however, have different content, since they were obviously often edited.
Sophia Jesus Christ
The writing Sophia Jesu Christi (Wisdoms of Jesus) begins with a revelation speech of Christ after the resurrection to the twelve disciples and seven women. (BG p. 77,9-16) The speech brings a Middle Platonic teaching in which God is immortal, eternally without Beginning and name, not in human form, incomprehensible, good and perfect. The Epistle of Eugnostus was found in the Nag Hammadi library , a similar letter without allusions to biblical persons.
Acts of Peter (Acta Petri)
A small part is preserved from the beginning of the Acts of Peter, an apocryphal book of Acts in the form of a novel, which tells the travels and miracles of Peter with a very critical attitude towards the body . There is only one story about the paralyzed daughter of Peter.
literature
- Schmidt, Carl: A pre-Iranian Gnostic original work in Coptic language , by Dr. Carl Schmidt in: Meeting reports of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, year 1896 2nd half volume June to December, Berlin 1896, p. 839f.
- Carl Schmidt (Hrsg.): The old Petrusakten in connection with the apocryphal literature of the apostles together with a newly discovered fragment, Hinrichs, Leipzig 1903. In: Texts and investigations on the history of early Christian literature New series, Vol. 9 = the whole series, 24th volume. This work brings the Coptic text of the Petrusakten from P. 8502 of the Berlin Papyrus Collection, plus a German translation and a detailed review.
- Walter C. Till : The Gnostic Writings of the Coptic Papyus Berolinensis 8502, edited, translated and edited. In: Texts and Investigations Vol. 60, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1955. Contains a 60-page introduction, the Coptic text, the corresponding German translation on two pages each, plus indices of the Coptic and Greek words. The parts of the Acts of Peter are not included.
- Hans-Martin Schenke (Ed.): The Gnostic Writings of the Coptic Papyrus Berolinensis 8502. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1972, DNB 730090914 . (Text output)
- Christoph Markschies : The Gnosis. Verlag Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-44773-2 .
- David M. Scholer: Nag Hammadi bibliography, 1995-2006. Vol. 3, 2009. Codex Papyrus Beroliniensis. Bibliography. Nos. 9427-9436, ISBN 978-90-04-17240-1 , p. 58. (online)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Meeting reports of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin 1896 , p. 839.
- ↑ C. Schmidt, Die alten Petrusakten , pp. 1–2.
- ↑ C. Schmidt, Die alten Petrusakten , p. 2.
- ↑ The Coptic gnostic library A complete edition of the Nag Hammadi codices. Volume II, ISBN 90-04-10395-3 , p. 2. (online)
- ↑ Papyrus Rylands 463 and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525 for the Ev. of Maria and P. Oxy 1081 for the Sophia Jesu Christi
- ^ Walter C. Till: The Gnostic Writings of the Coptic Papyus Berolinensis 8502 , Berlin 1955, pp. 20 ff.
- ↑ Texts and Studies on the History of Early Christian Literature, Vol. 24.
- ^ W. Till, Die Gnostischen Schriften, pp. 1–8.
- ↑ Illustration of a text page from the Codex
